Gardening in High Heels

cultivate a beautiful life

Be Better on Twitter

There are so many things that annoy me about social media.  It’s really bad actually because my career is as a social media and email marketing consultant.  Maybe I’m just hyper-aware of little things online because I spend all day looking at it.  And researching what to do and what not to do.  And having people tell me what their friend’s cousin’s ex-fiance told them they should do on social media.

Ugh!

I’m starting to spend the most time on Instagram, but Twitter is still getting a lot of air time for me, too.  There are a ton of things that I wish someone would just say, “Hey, don’t do this on Twitter,” so today, I’m being that brutally honest best friend and telling you to just. stop. already.

Do these 5 things on Twitter right now to be your best

Unlink your Facebook from your Twitter!

If I wanted to see what you had to say on Facebook, I would be on Facebook.  But I’m on Twitter, which means I probably don’t care what you’re posting there for Mark Zuckerberg to own from now until forever.  When I start to read a tweet and then see “fb.me/da02fa” halfway through the sentence, guess how many times I click on the link to see what’s gonna come next.

Go on.  Ballpark it.  Exactly, folks, no times.

So please, for the love of all things 140 characters, unlink your Facebook and Twitter account.  If you don’t know how to do that, go to facebook.com/twitter and click “Unlink” next to the accounts that are linked up.

If you’re active on both, you probably don’t need them connected anyway.

Take a breath

Don’t be that person that tweets non-stop.  Live-tweeting and participating in Twitter chats aside, of course.  You have 14o characters – be concise.  I totally get that sometimes a tweet needs to carry over into another one.  That’s cool.  Just don’t abuse it.

Speak your peace

I like Twitter for the exchange of information and quick conversations that you can have with just about anyone on the planet.  It’s also nice to have quick, adult conversations.  I firmly believe that if you have something direct to say on Twitter, say it.  Sub-tweeting is just as annoying (if not moreso) than vaguebooking.

If not, take that shit back to Facebook where the middle schoolers drama queens are and leave me to my adult, mature things like Buzzfeed articles that will tell me which Disney princess I am (Cinderella, BTW).

Talk to people

To me, Twitter is a place for a conversation.  So ask questions and reply to people and share their good content, too.  It’s a two-way street and you need to stop riding the center line so other people can finally get around you.  Also, if you follow me and you haven’t really tweeted but you are following 10,000 other people, that doesn’t really make me want to follow you back, yknow?

Fill out your profile

Kinda like if you have a bunch of people that you’re following but no tweets, having an empty/incomplete bio doesn’t do much on Twitter.  Give people something to relate to and connect with.  Give us a little personality and your interests.  You might even find some cool people to follow just by what they have written in their bio.  I know even if a location is filled in and I see someone is from Pittsburgh, I’m more likely to check them out rather than a random person without any real names/info/etc.

And if you’re a business/blogger, you better have this filled out.  No exceptions, no excuses.

What are your Twitter pet peeves (or tips!)?

 

Be a Better Blogger is a weekly link up dedicated to helping you be a more intentional blogger. Want to be a better blogger but don’t know where to start? Head over to the Be a Better Blogger page for daily prompts and a weekly linkup to help get the creative juices flowing! Oh, and use #beabetterblogger on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook to keep the fun going even after you hit Publish!

What I Learned from Blogging Every Day

Guys, I’m so excited today.  I wanted to keep writing every day and Katy and Meghan are so fantastic, that they were like, “Hell yeah, we’ll keep going too!”  So we’re launching a weekly link up dedicated to helping you Be a Better Blogger.

If you know anything about me, you know that I want to bring people together and make connections.  I love that this is encouraging and elevating other bloggers.  Part of that support is sharing what we’re learning.

Blogging every day is a huge undertaking but it is possible to do well. After a month of every day blogging, I'm sharing what I learned in the process.

Planning is your friend

I know that I should have an editorial calendar and a list of posts that I’m committed to at the beginning of the month.  The closest I’ve gotten to that is having certain themes for the days that I posted.  It helps so much when you have a plan.  Using Katy’s prompts in May was so helpful because it allowed me to focus my thoughts when I was writing.

Ride the creative wave

For me, much of blogging means spending time figuring out what to write about and then actually writing it.  There are times when I didn’t have a post written for the next day and I’d be sitting here at my computer saying, “Okay, brain, what’s it gonna be…wanna give me something good now?”

When you get the creative spark to write, do it.  And write as much as you can to get yourself ahead of the game.  Even if you end up using a different post (I’ve had 3 different posts written for today), at least you have some writing that you can pull from later.

Batch posts

This is another thing that I know is necessary but never really did.  Write everything, then work on figuring out what photos you want to take, then go in and edit them all, and finally add the correct tags and information to them.

This helps so much when you can just open up Photoshop, load in a few post’s worth of photos, and plug them into the post.  Then schedule away.

Schedule your social media

When I get busy, the first thing that goes is updating social media.  That’s why scheduling is indispensable for me as a blogger.  I can write my posts and then as I’m scheduling them, I’ll queue ’em up for Tweetdeck.  That way I know that I’m taking the necessary steps to have a successful blog without stressing too much during the day when I should be focusing on work.

Comment, share, and support other bloggers

I’ve always tried to comment as much as I can, but blogging every day takes away some of the time to read other blogs.  This is something I want to work on more for the following month.

It’s also so valuable to have a network you can turn to for support and inspiration.  If you’re out there supporting other bloggers, you’re racking up good karma points.  It doesn’t go unnoticed!

Most importantly, keep learning, it’s okay to make mistakes, your job is never “done”

There are so many things that I learned from blogging every day for a month.  It taught me a lot about time management, having a clear plan, and that batching posts is your friend.

What tips do you have for being a better blogger?

 

Be a Better Blogger is a weekly link up dedicated to helping you be a more intentional blogger. The linkups will happen on a weekly level over on the BBB page. Link as many of your posts as you’d like! Join us as we support each other to be better bloggers!

Five places to get inspiration

There are so many places to get inspiration and it seems like it varies for everyone but damnit, I’m going to write about it anyway.  Today’s Blogger, May I prompt is who/what inspires you.  Here are my five favorite places to get inspiration.

Inspiration comes in different places for different people. If you need a kick of inspiration and want to try something new, here are five places to try. #BloggerMayI

Coffee shops

Okay, is this a surprise to anyone?  Seriously, answer truthfully.  I love being in coffee shops and hearing the people passing by, the espresso machine whirring, change being made, and just the general hum of the environment.  It’s so soothing to me.  It’s the perfect background noise to use when writing.  If I can’t get to a coffee shop, I like the Coffitivity app which mimics the sound of a coffee shop.

Museums

Anywhere artsy really should get lumped in here.  I always get inspired by being around other people who were inspired.  I’m a huge fan of the fun cultural things that are in Pittsburgh like the museums, the National Aviary, Phipps Conservatory, even some of the older neighborhoods in Pittsburgh are just works of architectural dreams and so beautiful.

Malls

Malls seem weird to appear here, what I’m really going for here is “place to people watch.”  I always end up seeing or experiencing something that needs to be recorded (aka: written and published on the internet until the end of time).   I’ve also gotten inspiration at gatherings (albeit a little buzzed), sporting events, restaurants, etc.

Side note: buzzed is also a good way to induce inspiration – write drunk, edit sober..y’know?

Outside

I always get the best ideas and (more importantly) the right wording when I’m running.  It also happens when I’m in the garden – what else is there to do but think?  The only challenge here is that here isn’t always something readily available to write down what you’re thinking.  Sooo many times, I’d have something beautifully phrased outside and then when I get home and can write it down it’s lost.  Ah creativity, you’re sometimes an elusive beast.

When I’m not thinking about something

Does this happen to anyone else: you focus on one thing so intently and you just can’t resolve it in your head.  And then you get started on another task, usually something mindless, and the solution to the initial problem just appears.  I always get a nice little hit of inspiration when I change gears and focus on something else.

Its also great to know when you’re most creative/productive or inspired.  The girls from Clarity on Fire recently wrote an interesting blog post about finding your “work flow” aka: when you’re the most inspired and ready to work.  It’s kind of cool!  I’m totally a morning person – my best ideas come in the morning – but sometimes I can ride on a second wave in the evening.

Where do you find your inspiration?  I want to see if I can expand my horizons!


Need the prompts for the Blogger, May I challenge?  Gotcha covered.  Want to use your own prompts?  No problem!  Just grab a button to show that you’re linking up with myself, Katy, and Meghan.  Oh, and use #BloggerMayI on Twitter/Instagram to keep the fun going even after you hit Publish!

Hausfrau book review and giveaway

There are so many questions I have after reading Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum.  I’ll try not to give any spoilers here, but I seriously read the last sentence and was like, “Is that all?!?  What happens next?!”

I’m not going to lie, it took me a while to get into the action of the novel.  I didn’t dislike Anna, but I didn’t like her either; that made for some pretty bland action at first.  Basically, Anna is this exhausted, complacent, lonely hausfrau (who never confirms that she is lonely/bored/etc) and enters affairs…because she can pretty much.  Again, we never know why.  I love that we don’t.  Some things in life aren’t explained and just happen.

The more I read this, though, the more intrigued I became.  How is Anna going to disengage herself from these lives of lies?  What will her husband do?  How will she get found out?  Will she get found out or will she extract herself no harm, no foul?

It was sort of like reading about a train wreck.

Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum is beautifully written and has crazy amounts of intrigue. Review and giveaway!

There were more than five things that stood out to me as I was reading this that really made me wonder.  (I tried not to do this, but there is a spoiler and it’s noted as such.)

The Bruno Scale

When Bruno is around more, Anna acts out less.  The more attention she gets from him, the less she needs it from other people.  That’s a pretty basic observation, but I do think it’s worth mentioning.  His presence in the present can’t undo the past, so there must be some retribution for Anna’s actions (and oh is there ever).

But he’s trying!  You see him trying!

I actually like his character.  He appears to be the only one who is active.  It’s true, Anna is doing the cheating, and she’s probably doing it because he’s passive towards her, but when we see him interact with other characters, he’s always active whereas Anna closes herself off.

Mary

Oh lordy, I do not like Mary.  Everything would have been fine if she just kept her mouth shut.  Trust me, I’m not rooting for Anna here, but I’m definitely rooting for Mary to mind her own damn business.

She’s the catalyst for both good and bad.  She brings Bruno back to Anna, but she also really, really breaks Bruno and Anna apart.

There is a lot to say about her character, which is interesting because she only appears for part of the book.  She sets a lot of things into motion.  She’s almost like Anna’s affairs themselves: provides something to feel good about for the moment but ultimately is a downfall for Anna.

Maybe I’m reading this at a basic level, and every book needs a villain, and I’m just inserting Mary into that slot where it wasn’t the intention.  Help me out here, anyone else see that in her character?  Perhaps foil is a more appropriate term.

Anna’s birthday

Here’s another thing that Mary screwed up!  [Spoiler alert] She planned a birthday party for Anna when Anna expressly said not to do anything.  Mary and Tim / Anna and Bruno had a fantastic day together with their kids.  You see a hint of humanity in Bruno and a switch slowly turning for Anna.  I almost thought this was the pivotal moment moment for them.

And then Mary doing Mary got in they way.  Lady, if someone says “I don’t want a party,” you don’t force them to have a party, especially when they’re as standoffish as Anna.  And have so many different lives.

What happens when Bruno finds out?

This is kind of a big question that drove me to keep reading.  So, Anna is cheating, this we know.  What we don’t know is what will happen when Bruno finds out.  I can tell you – it’s good.  And all Mary’s fault!  Well, okay, Mary didn’t force Anna to cheat.  But she started it!

I wrote this one down as I was reading and it seriously bugged me.  Like I mentioned, this question drove me to keep reading.  If Bruno is one of the most active characters, what action will he take when he finds out he’s been cuckolded?  We never see him get scary-angry, but his power and authority is definitely conveyed.

Fire…what?

What does the fire symbolize?  Playing with fire, I guess, but where does it come from?  It happens when Anna meets Stephen and carries throughout, but it only appears at certain times.  I guess it’s play with fire, but maybe it’s also destruction and may be renewal (like a phoenix).  Pay attention when you’re reading this for the fire references and tell me what you think they mean/where they come from.

I’m almost leaning towards destruction, but 90% off the book is destruction and there aren’t that many references to fire.  Perhaps it is referring to Stephen and his particular involvement in the novel.

Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum is beautifully written and has crazy amounts of intrigue.

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So, have I piqued your interest in Hausfrau?  Good!  The book is already out (released on a lucky day, March 17th) and one of my readers can win a copy of the book thanks to Penguin Random House and 20SB!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What have you been reading lately?

[disclaim]I was provided a copy of Hausfrau to read and review and another to give away bu Penguin Random House and 20SB.  These are my honest opinions about the book.[/disclaim]

Five things you don’t know about me from reading my blog

There are things I don’t share with the internet – actually, there are a lot of things I don’t share with the internet.  Sure, I’ve talked about recent struggles, terrible jobs, and lots of makeup.  So it may come to a total and complete shock to you when I say that for the most part, I try not to divulge suuuuper personal things online.

I don’t want to be superficial, and I am real with you guys, but I have family members reading and I know current/future employers will be checking in on me (my profession is digital marketing, I know how our minds work).Five things you don't know about me from reading by blog (thing one: I hate selfies).

 

But today we’re breaking that down.  Are you ready for some stories you’ve never heard about me? Thing one: I hate the term “selfie” and how I can no longer document cute outfit days for fear of being a “girl who takes selfies.”

I broke a backboard

I always tend to lead off with this one, but it really should be a closer.  I was in the indoor color guard when I was in middle and high school.  This was during the marching band off season, so we practiced (as indicated by the name) inside.  In a gym.  Where someone didn’t raise the hoops before we started.

I was attempting a saber toss and instead of coming down neatly into my hands, it arced, hit the plexiglass, and shattered it.  I should remove the “wanna-be” because I am a badass just from that.

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was little

Maybe you did know this one.  I’ve wanted to be a writer for ages.  If I could sit in a little coffee shop and write all day, I would.  I sound like a loner, don’t I?  I promise, I like people…sometimes.

I took a journaling class at a community college with my mom when I was younger.  The instructor was skeptical about having me in the class, but my mom insisted.  It’s a good thing she did.

There is seriously nothing better than creating something beautiful with my words.  If I could write something that moves people to comment and share their thoughts on it, that’s fantastic.  If I can make a difference for businesses with my words, that’s powerful stuff.  Words are organic and spontaneous – they can hurt or help on a very deep level that something physical simply cannot do.  I love words.

I was an intern for Yelp in Pittsburgh

If you followed SyntaxxErrorrr on Twitter, you probably knew this one, too.  Man, I need to revisit what “unknown” means.

It was a fantastic opportunity and it pained me to leave when I found a full time job.  I worked with an amazing woman, met amazing people, and got to promote amazing small businesses in Pittsburgh (three things that are like professional crack to me).

What I really liked about Yelp is that I got to work from these great local businesses that I was helping to bring awareness to.  It was so relaxed which allowed me to do some of my best creative work.

It also was the first time that I really experienced event marketing and it was a blast!  I got to collaborate with these great Pittsburgh businesses, pitch ideas, and see them come to life. That my friends, was so cool!

I used to go to Gettysburg every summer

My mom would drag me there for years when I was in school.  I say drag because now history is kind of cool and it’s been a while so I wouldn’t mind to see what has changed, but it used to get a little repetitive when it was every summer.

We even went for the 147th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.  We couldn’t make it

My argument of “It’s been here for 150 years, it’ll be here for 150 more, can I be excused this summer please?” didn’t really hold water.

I graduated from college in 3.5 years

And I earned two degrees.  I graduated in less time with twice the degrees than most people.  When I was a junior and picking my classes, I realized that I could bump my English minor up to a second major and still be done early.  At that time I was already on track to graduate in 3.5 years.

Even though I’m proud of my accomplishments, it did mean sacrificing some social time.  I did make sure I had plenty of time to relax, but I didn’t go out and spend lots of my time at bars and parties.  And I went to one of the biggest party schools in America.  Part of my feels like I missed out, but another part of me is okay with how I spent my time (and parent’s money).

Bonus round:

I’m pretty dorky – I have a favorite punctuation mark and a second favorite punctuation mark.  Depending on the day, it’s either a semi-colon or an ampersand (they switch back and forth).  I’m also a total goofball if the moment is right, especially around Jonathan.  If you don’t believe me, come see me after I’ve had a beer.

So..what don’t I know about you?

Let’s Play

           

People Really Dug These

We Belong in the Garden Together